Saved
by Batya
Summary: Bond is ordered to protect a fourteen year old girl. But things go farther than anyone expected. Takes place after QoS. rated T because i can.
1. Chapter 1

**I just saw Quantum of Solace and had this idea but I don't know where to go with it. I was going to make this a story challenge but no dice…..the story is in my head so I will do my best to write it….this takes place after Quantum of Solace.**

**PLEASE NOTE: Ali Larter is the name of an actress but i just like the name so i spell it with a Y and the character bear no resemblance or relation to the actress**

**Disclaimer: Do NOT own James Bond but I really wish owned Daniel Craig….**

She was running for her life. Her breathing heavy as her sneakers pounded down the road. Her blue eyes wide with fear and her black hair streaming behind her.

The one chasing her started firing...maybe he was a bad shot or missing on purpose but Aly was too scared to care as the bullets whizzed by her, missing by inches. But there was a problem:as scared as she was, she was getting tired. The road was empty and she had no hope for a rescue.

Suddenly she heard the squeal of tires nearby and a gray Aston Martin pulled up beside her. The door opened and her eyes met of pair of ice blue ones.

"Get in" he told her. She froze in a moment of indecision looking between the man running towards her with a gun and the complete stranger in a car. She chose the car and the moment the door was closed the car was moving faster than she realized a car could. The one chasing her started firing at the car. The man driving maintained an icy calm until they were far enough away. Then he took a moment to glance over at her.

"So people are putting out kill orders for children now?" his voice was quiet, calm and precise.

"I'm not a child, I'm fourteen." She told him. The side of his lip twitched but he didn't respond.

"So who are you and why did you save me?"

"Those are my orders." he stated

"and what's your name?" Aly asked as they reached a red light and he brought the car to a smooth stop

"James Bond" he told her extending a hand for her to shake. She stared at the hand for a moment. It was hard and callused. Then she tentatively took his hand and shook it

"I'm Aly Larter" she told him.

"Well its very nice to meet you" he said politely, but it was undercut by that same lip twitch. It wasn't a smile but it seemed like he was quietly amused by her. She wanted to protest to that but Aly was more than a little intimidated by him.

So they sat in silence as the Aston Martin drove smoothly through the night.

**R&R if you like there is more on the way**


	2. Chapter 2

**So here is Chapter 2…and if any of the bad guy stuff sounds a little off…well…oh well. I'm not up on my legal stuff so just go with it. Also my knowledge of James Bond is the first two movies so I don't actually know everything for sure and I am making some bits up.**

**Chapter 2**

After their short conversation Aly sat quietly and by the time they had reached the agency she had fallen asleep.

Once the car actually came to a stop she woke up. It took Aly a moment to reorient herself with her surroundings but once she remembered the events of that evening she glanced over at Bond. He was opening the door and glanced over at her to see that she did the same.

The two were certainly an odd pair walking through the pristine hallways of the agency. Bond wearing his usual clean cut suit with a fancy watch on his wrist, and Aly walking next to him trying to keep pace. Her hair was in disarray and she was clad in jeans and a simple tank top.

Every few feet there was another agent of some sort standing or walking around looking busy. It occurred to Aly that they all seemed to be dressed alike. Finally they stopped at a door with two guards. They nodded to him and opened the door.

"You wait here" he told Aly. Then he walked into the room leaving her outside.

"So M I brought the girl" he stated standing in front of her desk.

"Where is she?" M responded without even looking up from her papers

"Just outside the door."

"good…" she paused and looked up at him.

"I guess I should tell you now that I have appointed you as her bodyguard." M's voice was dry, probably guessing the response.

"You put me on babysitting duty?" He was incredulous.

"James…she is an orphan, when she turns 18 she will inherit the wealth her parents garnered over the years. But someone wants it now. If she were taken hostage they would demand the money and they would get it." She remained firm.

"Who wants the money?"

"Terrorists of some sort. They are stationed somewhere on this continent so our situation would be dire if they got the money they needed to make their bombs. We don't much about them yet but we will keep you informed" Bond looked at her for a moment then he sighed and walked out of the room.

Aly had since sat down against the wall opposite the door and was hugging her knees to her chest. The two guards said and did nothing and she was beginning to wonder what would happen if she poked them…she wasn't sure they would even move.

That was when Bond walked out of the office, his eyes icy as ever.

"Come on" he told her and she stood up

"Can you please tell me what's going on? Are you secret service or kidnapping me…what is going on?!" she was yelling and waving her arms in the air, Bond eyed her calmly before stating

"Let's summarize and say I am secret service. The man chasing you was part of a terrorist organization that wants the money your parents left you so I am hired as your professional babysitter" with that he turned and began walking back the way they came

"Baby sitter?" she repeated

"Or bodyguard…would be the official term if we are going to get into semantics" his voice was dry as ever as Aly jogged a bit to catch up to him.

"So where are we going?"

"a hotel…and there we get to…'lay low'" he used the term with a hint of distaste.

"Is that all?"

"Until the terrorists make another attempt to kidnap you that is basically it."

"Can we go back to my house to get some stuff?" he took a moment to glance at her. And she looked at him.

"Please?" he sighed again thinking what a trial this mission would be as they made their way to the car.

**And that's chapter 2 R&R please^_^**

**And PLEASE NOTE: I really would appreciate if I didn't get any reviews that are bashing the new Bond films. Everyone has their own opinion but save it for the forums and such….it isn't necessary here and I will delete those comments if I get any.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Yay chapter 3^_^this is a little more exposition but after this stuff will start happening.**

**Chapter 3**

The two sat quietly in the car except for Bond asking for the address of her home. She gave it to him and he typed it into the car computer which showed the route.

In the car it remained silent as Aly mulled over her new situation and watched the road fly by.

"Do you always drive this fast?" he continued to stare straight ahead and simply stated

"Yes" she finally looked over at him and properly studied him. Aside from the suit and ice blue eyes he had dirty blond hair neatly parted on one side. He had a cold angular look to him overall that was only emphasized by the lack of emotion he seemed to display.

Once they got there Aly reached over to unbuckle her seatbelt and Bond had his hand on the door.

"Is there any guardian that might try to stop you from leaving? Anybody that you need to explain this to?" she shook her head

"Nope it was just me" she stepped out of the car and walked into the house. Bond shook his head and stepped out of the car as well. She turned and looked at him confused.

"Just in case" he told her pulling a gun out of his pocket.

"What? Are you gonna shoot the banisters or something?" there was the almost smile but he simply repeated

"Just in case"

He entered first and surmised the place was clear. Then he nodded to her and she ran upstairs to her room.

He took a moment to examine the place. It was larger and fancy with a curved staircase and a fancy chandelier. It was probably the place where she lived with her parents and she never left after their death.

She came downstairs not long afterwards with a large purple backpack on her back.

"So you have been here by yourself this whole time?" he asked

"It's been two months, I was just starting to run out of food and money" she told him, adjusting one strap of her bag. He gave her a curious look

"The first month I got by on what was already in the house and I told the people from school that I was very ill…the second month I used up all my money that I had saved and whatever I could find in the house, and I told the school we were moving away."

"The people from your school never asked to see your parents?" he asked, her mouth twisted a little as she heard that.

"It was well known that my parents traveled a lot for work and I was left by myself a lot. They always kept a jar of money so I could buy myself dinner when they were gone." She pointed to a jar that had been dumped over by the stairs with a few quarters left in it. Bond raised his eyebrows at it but only said

"How did they die?" the moment the question was asked Aly was already walking towards the door

"Shall we go now? I really don't feel like staying here anymore…" she stopped short in the doorway. James walked over to her about to ask what the problem was when he saw it standing before them with a gun pointed at him and another at her.

**Wow my first cliffhanger so far! R&R please^_^**

**And to respond to my reviewers:**

**To Matteic: Usually the exposition scenes are a bit of a pain for me….once we get past all that I would like to think my writing style may get better…although I did imagine that Bond would be a little uncooperative…at least at first. But i put in a proper(ish) description of Bond**

**To Sarah: I am happy you like it so far^_^ **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hmmm….I am just speeding through all of this^_^**

**Chapter 4**

They stared at the men pointing guns at them…there were five or six. Aly glanced at them. They seemed like a remarkably nondescript bunch…excluding the guns. All of them wore black and the only thing she truly noticed was the man in the center. His eyes a particularly evil glint to them.

Aly slowly stepped back into the doorway and behind Bond. Nobody said anything. The moment was silent and tense. The air was heavy with anticipation, of what she had no clue.

James never actually looked at her keeping his icy eyes on the adversaries at hand. All of them were watching him as well, it was clear he was the major threat.

This worked to Aly's advantage because nobody saw he carefully sidle towards the right side of the doorframe where they kept their umbrellas. She looked straight ahead and never glanced over as her hand wrapped around the handle of a heavy metal umbrella. Once she had been bumped in the shin by this umbrella and it left a huge bruise so she knew it could cause actually damage.

Just as Aly had managed to hide the umbrella behind her someone made a move and the spell was broken. Bond didn't even bother with his gun simply jumping into the fray and dealing out blows left and right. He kept most of them occupied but one tried to take advantage of the moment and began to approach Aly. James just realized it and looked over with an expression that read as

_'Shit.'_

Aly stared up at the man looking scared until he got close enough then she pulled out the umbrella and hit him in the groin as hard as she could. The man dropped to the ground with a moan and she took a moment to tell him

"I hope you can't procreate now"

James was doing ok having only two guys still standing. He dealt the final blow to one while Aly hit the other in the head with her umbrella.

They stood there for a moment before he took her by the arm and led her back to the car. He calmly got into his side and gave her a moment to buckle her seatbelt as he started the car, then he floored it and her house quickly became a speck in the rearview mirror.

Once they were a safe distance away he glanced over at her

"You used an umbrella" It was stated but the half smile was there.

"Well it worked didn't it?" For the first time since they met that an actually smile lit his features. She had to admit it must have been absurd and she smiled too

"I would love to hear them explain it to their boss…'Well sir she had an umbrella'" she put on a voice for the second half and he let out a small chuckle. Then Bond glanced at her for a moment before saying

" So tell me, what did we risk our lives to get?" Aly looked over at him and then opened up her backpack.

"Some clothes, mainly books and my MP3 player"

"That's it?" he demanded

"Well you clearly are here to protect me, not entertain me so I thought I should make sure I can entertain myself while I remain cooped up in a hotel room for god knows how long!" her ton was a mix of defensive and irritated. He sighed and shook his head. She turned away from him moving on her side. It was now something like 4 in the morning and she was going to try and get some sleep before the sun came up.

The pair drove on in silence until morning.

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A man sat in a dark room. six men entered.

"She got away again" the man stared up at them. his face was mostly in shadow but you could see his eyes, one was icy blue and the other was blood red.

"Find them" he stated and as they turned to go he told them in his soft slightly melodic voice

"And if you fail again the consequences shall be dire...so bring some backup" the men nodded nervously and hurried from the room.

**I would like to say the umbrella idea just happened and amused me greatly…I hope you guys thought it was funny too. Also do not become too adjusted to the rate I am updating this at. I happen to have a lot of free time right now but the time it takes me to write and post a chapter can be awhile sometimes…just wanted to let you all know^_^**


	5. Chapter 5

**Well here's chappie numero five^_^**

**Chapter 5**

They pulled up in front of a fancy hotel. The theme of it seemed to Roman because of the columns out front. Not that he cared particularly, it looked decent and he judged they had driven far enough. He took a moment to look in the side mirror, he didn't look to disheveled and he looked over at Aly who was sleeping again. He stared at her for a moment, his icy eyes unreadable. Then he reached over and nudged her shoulder.

"Get up, we're here." She blearily opened her eyes and nodded mutely brushing her hair out f her face.

Once they reached the hotel desk the woman behind it raised her eyebrows at the odd pair. He was taken off his fancy jacket and had an equally nice shirt underneath that looked slightly dirty as if he had fallen down. Here was no hint to the fact that he had been fighting for his life a few hours before. His briefcase that looked brand new was resting by his feet.

Aly was still in her jeans and a slightly dirty tank top and a large purple backpack on her back. She was still half asleep as she stood there.

Bond noted the look and simply stated

"My daughter fell asleep in the car" Aly made a face but since she was staring at the floor it went unseen. Bond proceeded to get them a two room suite saying his daughter liked her privacy and leaning towards the receptionist saying with a sigh

"Teenagers." by now the woman, taken in by his charm smiled and nodded knowingly. By now Aly was biting her tongue to keep from saying anything.

Once they had walked into the elevator she stared up at him

"I'm your daughter now? And why are you so charming all of a sudden Mr. Bond?" he looked down at her and stated simply

"Since this mission is to hide you and guard you we needed a cover story that didn't include the term 'bodyguard.' And I can be charming when I feel so inclined." She looked at him incredulously before turning away stating

"Well that's news to me" he shook his head at her and the doors opened. He lead the way to their rooms unlocking the door and letting her walk in. all grumpiness was gone for a moment as she saw the huge room and big screen TV.

"Cool!" she stated running to the door that led to an adjoining bathroom that connected the two rooms and peeked into the other room that was of a similar size and had a balcony.

"Well isn't this fancy…can I have this room?" he nodded amused by her amazement.

"You live in a big house why are you shocked by a big hotel room?" Bond asked her

"I have never been in a hotel and on TV hotel rooms are always crappy" she explained as she sat on the bed giving it an experimental bounce.

"You can amuse yourself here I assume?" he asked. She looked over at Bond and gave a shrug taking off her backpack. She opened it and began pulling out some books and her MP3 player.

"Whatever" he nodded and walked back to the door that led to his room.

"I will be heading out for a bit, I should be back in about fifteen minutes or so. she nodded resigned.

"Lock the doors" he continued

"Should we have some secret password like 'open up stupid' or something of that nature" he looked at her seeming mildly amused

"How about I knock and I will tell you it's me." She shrugged and nodded. He went to his room leaving the connecting doors open.

"What time is it anyway?" Aly called over, he paused and looked at his watch.

"About 10:30, we drove through the night." She nodded and stood there for a moment unsure of what to do, meanwhile he was changing into normal clothes. A casual collard shirt and a pair of jeans. As he took off his jacket something fell on the floor but he didn't notice. She stood at the adjoining door until he left and then curiosity made her go over and investigate.

She walked over to it, finding out that 'it' was a picture. She picked it up to look at closely. It was a picture of a woman. She was smiling and standing next to a man. Both looked happy, it seemed like a typical picture of a happy couple. They go out somewhere and spontaneously decide to take of picture together. There were similar pictures of her parents back home. She stared at the picture curiously turning over to see if anything was written on the back. Is just said 'Vesper.'

Meanwhile James went to a nearby store and bought himself a baseball bat. The man behind the desk gave him a look as he purchased the thing since he hadn't pegged the blond haired man to be a baseball sort, figuring he was the type to golf on a business trip. Seeing the man's gaze he simply said

"I recently discovered a passion for baseball." his tone was dry and he smirked as he picked up the bag and walked out.

When he got back he found Aly sitting on his bed staring at a picture. Seeing it he put the bag down and sat himself comfortably against the wall by the door. He stared at her with an inscrutable look. She didn't say anything for some time and when she did she continued to stare at this picture

"What I can't figure out is if you are the sort of person who cares too little or too much."

"How do you figure?" he asked his expression still enigmatic.

"Well I figure this picture can be one of two things: a sister or brother with their significant other, but these sorts of pictures are kept in a wallet. Not to mention the fact that I never took you as the wallet picture type to begin with Mr. Bond" she glanced up at him as she said his name, briefly meeting his eyes before staring down at the picture again

"and the other option?" his eyes blue eyes boring into her

"Someone you love" she stated simply looking up at him and holding his gaze.

"I hesitate to say wife because she is with another man." She explained

"How could I care too little to begin with then, this picture should be proof that deep down, I am some sort of softie" he smiled slightly as he said. But it was more of a derisive smile at the thought of being such things. She held his gaze for a moment more before looking down and putting the picture aside.

"All people are a mass of contradictions" she said quietly. Then there was a long silence

"So who is she?" Aly asked softly

"She was the woman I loved, she died"

"I'm sorry" Aly whispered and he nodded his acceptance.

"So what's in the bag?" She asked. A brief smile flitted across his features as he pulled out the baseball bat

"This way next time you won't have to use an umbrella" he stated. She gaped at him for a moment and then began to laugh. Really laugh. And he did too. The laughter passed soon enough and she stood up taking the bat into her hands feeling the weight.

"Thank you" she said meeting his ever present stare.

"Your welcome" he told her. For the first time since she met him, his eyes didn't seem quite so icy.

**Hmm that's a nice note to end it on…wow 2 and a half pages…hope you like it^_^**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6….moving right along^_^**

**Chapter 6**

The day passed quietly both mainly staying in their respective rooms watching TV or in Aly's case reading.

Around midday Bond pulled out his cell and calmly dialed. The phone rang twice before it was picked up and a familiar elderly voice answered sounding annoyed.

"Bond what have I told you about calling me at home" M said, her anger restrained as always to mere irritation.

"But it saves me the trouble of waiting for them to contact you when I call" His voice was cheeky and ironic as he always was with her. There was a sigh at the other end.

"What is it Bond?"

"If we knew this girl had a large inheritance and her parents died, why did it take this long to take action. She was by herself for two months." There was silence for a long moment

"We didn't even know of her existence, the parents thought she would be safer if we didn't know of her"

"Safer?"

"They worked for M16. Government jobs are the only legal occupations that provide that much money. You would have a handsome fortune yourself if you didn't keep spending it on fancy cars that you end up crashing." Her voice was dry as always.

"Well they were married and that usually leads to children" Bond stated staring up at the ceiling

"Yes well this was a case of two people who never even came into contact during work and an example of us not keeping a close enough eye on our employees."  
"You mean you didn't even know that they were married?"

"Yes" there was silence.

"Anything else I should know about?"

"No that's all we know"  
"So why didn't you tell me all that before"

"You need to keep her alive and not kidnapped while we track these men down. That information wasn't relevant to her safety." Her voice was purely factual and he closed his eyes sighing inwardly.

"Fair enough" he hung up the phone.

A few miles away M stared at her phone with an exasperated smile thinking to herself

'_Typical'_

**Just a little more exposition and I need to figure out what happens next so this is a short chapter.**

**I have only one reviewer that requires a reply…**

**Anon: this isn't necessarily a father figure type story but it could be viewed as such….I am intrigued by the idea that someone like him could come to care about this girl when there is no obligation to do so. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7!!**

**Chapter 7**

James lay down on his bed staring up at the ceiling frowning. He had been amused by how irritated M had been over her clumsiness when she didn't investigate her employees' thoroughly, but now that he thought about it, the more he wondered what happened to them. All he knew was that they had been shot.

But he knew from personal experience that such things were never the full story. He pulled out the picture of Vesper that he had reclaimed from Aly, staring at it with eyebrows furrowed. That was when the door adjoining their rooms opened and Aly walked in and flopped onto the floor. He put the picture aside.

He stared at the space where her body had been standing and heard her voice, muffled by the carpet that her face was pressed against

"Mr. Bond, I am bored." She stated

"It's not like I can help, our window of opportunity for actually going outside is gone now" he stated, factual as ever

"You went out before" She countered getting off the floor into a sitting position.

"Yes, that was a few hours after we had beaten the lot of them severely. It takes 6 hours or more to fully regroup. As I said our window of opportunity to go out is closed now"

"Can we get something to eat then? It's 1:30" She said glancing at the clock

"We can order room service but you being seen more than necessary is a bad idea" He told her. She sighed and rested her chin on the foot of the bed

"Do you think they have pizza?"

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"Have you found them yet?" the man's voice was dangerously soft. His mismatched eyes glinting dangerously. The man on the other end stood far enough away from a hotel desk so he couldn't be heard while someone else showed the woman behind the desk the picture. The woman shook her head.

"Sir she could be staying at any hotel, we know that it's probably fancy because that's usually how M16 men work…but there are a lot of hotels, it will take some time"

"As long as it gets done right" he stated before closing his phone staring into his fireplace watching the crackling flames. He thought for some time and then he smiled.

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"So are you going to tell me what happened to your parents?" Bond asked bluntly. The pizza had come and gone. A few minutes earlier some room service person removed the tray and picked up the napkins and such before leaving. Now Aly was lying on his floor quietly and she didn't answer him.

"Why do you care?" she asked after a long pause.

"Does it matter?" he countered. She picked herself up off the floor and glared at him.

"Yes it matters! I am well aware that that the only reason I am still alive is because my parents were rich. I'm ok with that. I have accepted the fact that nobody would give a damn if I died, just that terrorists got my parents money. I know you are one of the last people I would expect to care, so if you are just asking to amuse yourself or something then yes it matters" her words were overflowing with bitterness and anger that she was probably suppressing most of the time. It occurred to James just then, that except for a few rare cases, Aly didn't smile much. Most of the time she looked unbelievably sad, and she was probably thinking all that over at the time.

"I want to know, because it could be important, it could provide me with information about the kidnappers tactics, and because…" it voice took an ironic note

"They say it helps to talk about things like this"

"Says who?"  
"A woman I know once tried to force me to see a therapist…the therapist said it" He looked amused remembering the argument with M but the smile was gone as quickly as it came and he fixed his gaze on Aly. She stared at him thinking for a moment. He could see the debate written all over her face.

"It was really sudden…one of those average family moments and then…" she look down for a moment swallowing the lump in her throat before she looked away from him staring at a corner of the room as if the scene was being replayed there for only her to see.

"I was saying good night when a bunch of men with guns started pounding on the door…my parents acted like they had planned for this and told me to hide in the closet." She took a deep breath and he nodded for her to continue

"So these guys come storming through the door with guns and everybody was yelling. My mom and dad tried to fight them but these guys beat both of them quickly. They told my dad to put his hands in the air…and then they grabbed my mom…by her hair…dragging her closer to the man that was going to shoot her. My dad was pleading that they shoot him and let her go. They said they would if my parents told them where I was…" she shook her head in amazement

"My mom started crying about how I had run away and it was all her fault. I had stolen money and bought a plane ticket to New York and I was gone forever. Everybody believed her. I bet my dad would've too if he hadn't helped me hide behind his clothes in the closet. Neither of them even glanced over at where I was." Her voice cracked a little bit.

"They shot her anyway. These guys just tossed her aside like she was a piece of trash. My dad got up to fight them or do something and they shot him too…then they dragged the bodies out of the room…they took my parents with them…god knows why…" her voice shook as she held back tears

"I screamed, I cried, I threw things, but it didn't matter…they died because of me" she began to cry covering her face with her hands. Her voice was muffled shaky now

"There. Now I told you. I hope it made you happy" She said, as if her being sad was his fault.

He stared at her crying with an expression that might have passed for concern maybe even sympathy if it was anybody else but Bond. He got off the bed sitting down beside her. He looked over at her and with a quiet sigh he gently and carefully put an arm around her. She didn't push him away; instead she leaned against him crying into his shirt.

One thing he did understand through experience was grief. He knew that as a child it had been hard to handle on his own. He could understand to some degree what she was feeling and was willing to let her cry as long as she needed to.

When the tears began to subside he looked over at her

"By all means, continue…I love having my shirts washed without going to the cleaners" it got a chuckle out of Aly although her eyes were glued to the floor. He nudged her shoulder and she finally looked up and met his eyes. She nodded and stood up going in search of some tissues.

James stayed sitting on the floor. He couldn't help thinking two things.

Mainly it surprised him that he had anything left in him that could be considered emotion. He was sure there was nothing left of that nature inside him and yet…he had always considered love of any form(fathers, sons, brothers, lovers, friends) to be an irrational emotion and avoided if possible. He thought that after she died he could never feel affection for any living thing again…

The other thought that kept going on in the back of his mind as he tried to rationalize. It was a tiny little whisper saying in simple terms: Vesper would have been pleased.

**Holy (Insert colorful metaphor here) that was such a hard chapter to write….I'm still not sure I nailed it….if it didn't work for you, please be gentle with the criticism…no flaming please**

**And to cascade-of-black-ink thank you for your thoughts but as you may have noticed…I don't think her dialogue will change that much…when I try to write like for her as a british character she doesn't sound like a teenager so I hope the slightly American dialogue wont bug you too much.**

**Hope you like it^_^**


	8. Chapter 8

**Wow seriously, thanks for all the good reviews…I thought somebody was going to hate it…I'm glad you all like chapter 7, now here is chapter 8**

**Chapter 8**

After that the rest of the day was quiet, as was the next. Both James and Aly were caught up in there own introspections. But the silence wasn't awkward; neither felt there was a need for them to speak.

Aly couldn't get over the strangeness of it all. Not to long ago she had been sobbing her heart out and now she was reading a book. For the last two months she hadn't told a soul what she had seen. It felt like weight she had been forced to carry. Talking about it had been a kind of release for her. It wasn't like some sort of quick fix of course; her heart still ached as she remembered what she had seen. That pain would never go. But at least talking about it seemed to dull the pain a little…as if she were sharing that weight with somebody else…It was odd that it ended up being Bond (of all people) that she opened up to. Although some part of her thought that he probably understood better than many other people would have. But all she said afterwards was

"Thank you," and same as before, he had simply nodded and said

"You're welcome."

As Aly thought it all over she put the book aside (she hadn't really been reading for awhile since she was lost in her thoughts). She stared up at the ceiling musing about the strange situation she was in. the weirdest part of it all was:

She was glad Bond became her bodyguard.

It was now 2:00 AM two days after she had told James what happened. She put a bookmark in her book and got up to get ready for bed. Her back faced the windows and she thought she heard something…it sounded like a door opening…she dismissed it as she rummaged through her bag making space for her book. But then she heard another noise. It was louder this time. Making her way to the door adjoining their rooms she put her ear to the door.

She heard gunfire and realized what must be going on, and she carefully opened the door

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The day had been boring…not that Bond minded since he didn't think he could handle outbursts like the other day, on a daily basis. His thoughts were still in turmoil as he began to reach some conclusions

After hearing what Aly had gone through…knowing how fragile she felt in his arms…something in him wanted her to retain that innocence that he knew she still had.

He wanted to protect her.

His back was to the door as he sat on the edge of his bed staring at the gun on his night table. It was almost like a reminder of exactly why he was there.

What happened next was abrupt, but that was how his life usually went.

The door was slammed open and men came running in with guns. Someone must have either bribed or threatened whoever was behind the desk to get in.

There were more than 6 guys this time unfortunately, and they were all armed. But it didn't matter. The moment the door opened he had his gun in his hand and ran to the door jumping in, as always, punching whoever was closest. He turned and caught a man in the eye while simultaneously bashing another man with the butt of his gun.

There was something like twelve men, all of them trying to subdue him. He was barely managing to hold his own. Someone punched him in the chest so hard he could swear that he cracked a rub. Someone else punched him in the face. Somebody even tried to shoot him, and missed.

That was when Aly opened the door and froze. Their eyes met and widened as a gunshot rang through the air and hit it's mark.

**Wow I am a horrible person…that is just downright cruel of me…but I do love writing a good cliffhanger…only thing I love more reviews*hint hint* ^_^**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks so much for all the reviews, they make me very happy^_^.**

**Also on a semi-related note…I made a James Bond video on Youtube(its to the song from the opening credits if QoS) Feel free to check it out. Its on youtube, over there is the complicated part of the URL. i would post it all but fanfiction only pastes that(...wierd): **

**.com/watch?v=OUuV5Ae1PHA**

**And now…**

**Chapter 9**

The sound of the gunshot rang through the air and it seemed for a moment as if everything stopped. It felt like the only sound in the room was her heart racing as she kept her eyes on him. Then James tore his eyes away from Aly's terrified gaze and slowly looked down to see blood staining his shirt. The man who shot him, fired once again this time hitting somewhere in his shoulder.

Aly felt as if she were frozen by fear, but as the second shot came as he met her gaze once more. She sprang into action not fully knowing what she even planned to do. She grabbed that baseball bat ready to fight when James collapsed. She stared at him in shock feeling as if her heart might stop, and then at the men who didn't even see her as a threat went to check that all of their own were alive.

Aly dropped the bat and ran to him.

"Mr. Bond?" her voice shook as she gently nudged his shoulder praying that he would wake up.

"Bond? Bond?! " Her efforts has no effect.

"James wake up!" She tried desperately, there was no response and she looked around the room trying the think of how to wake him. The men with guns knew the threat was neutralized and were checking to make sure none of their men were dead. She looked away from them and her quaking hands taking a deep breath, so she wouldn't start crying.

Then, very slowly…as if it were a huge effort, he opened his eyes. Her smile was relieved even a single tear rolled down her cheek. He looked almost confused for a moment, as if he didn't understand why she was so upset. Then he reached and gently wiped the tear away. His gazed moved from her to the men behind her and he turned serious as he beckoned her closer.

"Aly, I want you to run…Now" her eyes were full of fear but he kept his gaze steady.

"Go now" he repeated. That was when somebody reached over and grabbed Aly and threw her over his shoulder.

"No! Let me go!" she cried kicking, punching, and scratching to try and get free, to no effect. The man sighed and looked over at Bond who was slowly getting to his feet even though they all knew he was done for...except for Aly.

"Behave" the man told her sternly as he pulled out his gun and pointed it at James.

"Or else I will shoot him again." Her eyes met his and the struggling stopped instantly. The man kept his gun pointed at James as they left the room. Aly kept her eyes on him, he was leaning against the wall and staring right back. For once his eyes weren't cold and calculating, but rather filled with emotions too numerous to name. His shirt was wet with his own blood and it looked as though he was struggling to remain upright, and his eyes were drifting shut of their own accord when he looked away.

Just before they closed the door she simply yelled

"Don't die ok?" he didn't have a chance to answer as the door slammed shut and the men left him for dead.

He stood there for a moment before saying softly

"I'll try."

But his vision was beginning to gray and the room began to spin. He managed to go to his drawer and pull out the sharp instrument that activated his locator chip in his wrist. He took the tool and jammed it in wincing as he did so. Then he pulled out the earpiece and mouthpiece and put them on as he heard

"What is it Bond?" asked one of the many desk men whose job it was to monitor double Os in case they set off their locator chip. Bond was beginning to find it hard to breathe properly but he managed to say:

"Get M over here now unless she wants another dead double 0"

**Wow that was …it is entertaining for me to attempt to write about a subtle character and try to keep him _in _character…please let me know what you thought Oh and that chip thingy I mentioned…well I vaguely understood how it worked and it was in Casino Royale…and I worked from there**


	10. Chapter 10

**Ok and right now I will apologize to all who have issues with short chapters. I just knew how I would split this story up…but in this case be golad that I put 2 chapters together and feel free to guess where I planned to leave you hanging**

**Chapter 10**

"What is going on?" M demanded storming through the room where a man sat with a phone in hand.

"What is the emergency?" she asked him.

"It's Bond" he stated simply. She paused as if debating whether to be angry. It lasted a second before she took the headset and put it on.

"What is it Bond?" her tone was calm and precise.

"I've been shot." she could hear him gasping for breath before he continued

"I wont make it to a hospital. I am 5 minutes from MI6, you need to come here and get me stable enough so I can get to a hospital" She asked for the hotel name and he told her. Then she stood there for a moment trying to think of what to tell him.

"We will be there soon." She told him. He didn't bother answering he simply hung up.

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James didn't even question why M actually came instead of just sending her lackeys. On the way in they had passed a terrified woman behind the hotel desk. M told her to dial 911 before going to room number Bond had told them.

He was lying on the floor after he had removed his shirt and balled it up, pressing it against the shoulder wound. The other he simply left alone for fear of making it worse while the room seemed to spin around him.

The doctor was pulling out his medical kit and he quickly assessed Bond's condition. He went on to explain to Bond what he was going to do to get him stable but Bond didn't even look at the doctor. He watched M who stood over him with an inscrutable look. He didn't bother talking since he was having enough trouble trying to breathe. On the inside he was berating himself for being so careless, reckless, and useless. He knew that he had to survive but the pain was almost overpowering, he had to fight to stay conscious. He needed to make sure M knew…he had to tell her.

She was now kneeling beside him as she had sensed that he needed to speak. He clutched her arm, his blue eyes filled with pain as he tried to stay awake. He took a shaky, labored breath

"They…took her." he whispered, M nodded.

"We know James" he nodded looking almost relieved. He didn't expect her to say he would be ok because that was a lie. She didn't know that anymore than he did. But as long as M knew, they would look for her…in case he couldn't.

his eyes were closing of their own accord now…the voices around him seemed somehow distant.

He had one last thought before he shut down…

_Terrified blue eyes meeting his as she was carried away_

_"Don't die ok?' she had told him. _

_I'll try, he murmured. But by then she was gone._

That was when he lost consciousness.

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When he regained consciousness he found himself in a hospital bed. He stared at the ceiling recalling recent events. He then threw off the sheet and slowly began to get out of bed.

"I really wouldn't recommend that James" M's voice was as stern as ever. He paused for a moment looking over at her in the chair before settling himself on the edge of the bed as if that is what he had been planning all along.

"Do we know anything else now?" he asked her

"Not much…and nothing of particular use." He met he gaze for a moment before looking away, his expression hardened.

"We have gotten another double O to go after her"

"No." his response was immediate as he turned to face her. She raised her eyebrows and said nothing for a moment.

"You need to stay here Bond…you may recall, you were shot." She was as precise and blunt as ever.

"Yes I recall." He stood up and went looking for were in the room his clothes were. M watched him for a moment and sighed before handing him his clothes neatly folded.

"I would appreciate if you avoided car chases, fighting…and so on for at least a day or two. If you rip your stitches and bleed to death we may not be able to get there in time. It was luck that we acted quickly this time"

"I chose a hotel near headquarters in case of that" he told her. She would have scolded him for being reckless but since MI6 was a top-secret facility it was actually quite intelligent of him to do so. But she said none of that and simply nodded. He took the clothes and pulled out the curtain around his bed while he got changed. She simply stared at the curtain.

"I didn't realize when I hired you, that staying detached was a difficulty for you." He came out from behind the curtain wearing a casual long sleeve shirt and jeans. He didn't respond to her statement, but he found himself amused by how well she knew him. She picked out something inconspicuous which was perfect for his plans for today.

"Thanks mum," he told her with a slight smirk. She nodded and watched him leave shaking her head.

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He went to MI6 and pulled out the file for this case. There was nothing about the adversaries since they didn't know who they were. It was empty except for a picture of Aly probably from a school yearbook, and her records. He stared at the picture for a moment. It was a slightly old picture now…maybe from a year or two ago. Her smile was huge and her eyes sparkled. She looked happy.

Without a word he removed the picture from the file and put it in his pocket.

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He was in the car as he pulled out his cell phone. Looking through the contacts he found Claire and dialed the number. The voice on the other end was playful and seductive.

"Well hello there darling," She said as she answered the phone

"Claire, it's Bond"

"I know honey but I won't be able to get home until later" she was currently sitting in a man's lap and she winked at him as she spoke. He grinned at her knowingly.

"Ah…so you are undercover with a suspect."

"Well, sweety you know how it is." She looked away from the man whose lap she sat in so she could hide a smile. She picked up the phone to begin with because she knew Bond would catch on quickly.

"One second dear" she told him before turning to the man who looked like he might have been attractive ten years ago. She sort of covered the speaker, although that was for show anyway and told the man in a softly

"I'll be right back" her smile was flirtatious as she stood up and walked outside of the room.

"What is it Bond, I'm trying to get some information" her voice was businesslike providing a strong contrast to what it was moments before.

"Me too," he replied

"And out of curiosity who did that man think I was?"

"He thinks married women are sexy" her tone was wry and he smiled in spite of himself.

"So what do you need?"

"14 year old girl, kidnapped by terrorists who plan to use her inheritance for god knows what. Unfortunately that sounds like every terrorist on the planet and since you specialize in tracking them down…"

"Give me…" she paused and glanced back in the room at the man who was currently taking a deep swig of beer.

"Give me ten minutes, then come to the bar on cross street."

"Ok" Both hung up the phone without further ado. With a sigh Claire returned to the room to try and pump him for information through flirting and alcohol.

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he pulled up ten minutes later in front of a place that looked as though it had seen better days.

He opened the door and walked in his eyes immediately finding a woman wearing a red tank top and a pair of shorts, which exposed her shapely legs to the man sitting next to her. Her smile was complacent as she sat there. Her eyes were green and her hair was a fiery red. The man on the other hand was a scruffy sort of fellow who was currently unconscious.

Bond walked in looking amused

"Hello Claire."

"Hello James." He looked over at the man

"Any luck?" she shook her head

"He was a dead end, and too drunk to see me put sleeping pills in his drink." He nodded. Together they stood up and walked outside.

"So what can I tell you?" she asked him

"Have you heard of any major plan's going on? Anything about kidnapping?" she looked at him thoughtfully.

"What's the name of the girl?" she asked

"Aly Larter" he responded, she nodded and thought.

"Problem with trying to track terrorists is about half of what they say is empty threats and rumors, it's hard to say which is which."

"Have you got anything?" he asked and she looked into his eyes as if trying to read his expression, which was businesslike as always.

"The only thing I have is a name…and I'm not sure it is even the right one…Gregory Knight" he nodded processing that little bit of information.

"And I am not sure he is even native to Britain…this may just be his base of operations…"

"Thank you" he told her and she smiled.

"No problem" she said her voice going a little playful once more. She gave him a wink and walked back into the bar to steal the man's cell phone for more information.

**Well this chapter was a little longer…I am not sure yet whether this story is going to be full of original characters or whether I am going to bring characters from the films in. I really wanted to bring in Camille from QoS…but I just came up with this scene instead…I hope it was entertaining.**

**And on a semi related note…anybody else excited about Daniel Craig's new movie Defiance? It looks awesome**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Once they had gotten to the car Aly had resumed her struggles once more. She was shoved unceremoniously into the back seat and they tied her hands before shutting the door and getting into the front seat. The other guys got into a second car that drove behind them. Aly was unaware of all of that though because after her hands were tied they blindfolded her. With her sight gone all she could think of was that last moment she had seen Bond. He looked so…defeated.

"Can you at least call an ambulance for him? You've got me it's not like he can find me!" her voice was tinged with desperation and the men glanced back at her but didn't answer.

"You aren't even going to answer me?!" she demanded. The man in the passenger seat pulled his gun out and put it against her leg.

"Our orders are to bring you in alive, but I can easily make an excuse for shooting you if you don't shut the hell up." His voice was rough and callous, it sounded like he meant his threat, which effectively silenced her. She sat silently for the rest of the ride with tears streaming down her cheeks.

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Bond sat in his Aston Martin staring at the picture in his hands…His face was unreadable as ever under the appearance of calm. His mind was anything but. He had learned long ago that emotions were strange and dangerous. They clouded judgment and hurt worse than anything else could. Memories flashed through his mind.

_A necklace lying abandoned in the snow;_

Things said long ago echoed through his mind

"_Looks like you've lost another one" _the words of a man who died not so long ago. It was said in spite but the words hit their mark.

What had been said about him was certainly true…he was definitely damaged goods.

With that final thought he put the picture in his pocket and pulled out his cell phone once again and dialed.

"Hello?" said a familiar voice. Bond smirked a little as he said

"Hello Felix"

"James?"

"Who else would know your cell number? Isn't it top secret now that you run the CIA?" his voice was sardonic and he could practically hear Felix smiling as he responded

"If my number is top secret don't I have to kill you for knowing it?"

"Touché"

"So what's the problem?"

"Do you happen to know anything about a Gregory Knight? He is a terrorist of some kind and he's planning something big"

"By us? Or by you?" he certainly went straight to the point

"By us…he's kidnapped a fourteen year old for her inheritance money in order to fund whatever he is doing" there was silence on Felix's end for a moment

"Sorry James, I don't know anything but I will call if I find out something"

"Thank you" James said and then hung up the phone. He stared at it for a moment before tossing it to the seat next to him then he stared straight ahead for a moment, jaw clenched. With a yell of frustration he punched the steering wheel. The sudden motion caused a sharp pain where he had been stitched up. He gasped in pain leaning his head against the wheel and taking a deep breath before he hurt himself some more.

Emotions definitely complicated everything

**Yay I brought back Felix! I always liked him in the new movies…I don't know if he was in the others but still…so I brought back Felix although I am winging it now since I don't fully know where this is headed…suggestions and comments are always appreciated. **

**On yet another random note…for those who do not like sad or slightly disturbing films then do not see Road to Perdition. It made me cry at the end**


	12. Chapter 12

**Just FYI at the end of QoS they said Felix was head of the CIA...thats how i popped up with that**

**Chapter 12**

Bond drove back to MI6 and began perusing their database. M found him doing a 'name and known associates' search. As he scanned the list he became increasingly aware of someone standing right behind him.

"Hello mum"

"Hello Bond" there was silence. She didn't walk over and he didn't turn to face her.

"So I assume you found a name?"

"Gregory Knight"

"Any luck?"

"I see several people with an associate named Knight but the man himself appears to be absent from this list." He turned to face her now and his expression was determined.

"If you would take my advice…" she began

"Are you implying that I don't?" he interrupted his voice dry as ever. She ignored him and continued.

"If you would take my advice…at least kill them after you get information" he looked at her and nodded before making a swift exit.

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He once again pulled out his cell phone and dialed.

"Hello?" the voice on the other end was soft, and familiar

"Hello Camille, it's Bond" there was a moment of silence

"What is it that you want Mr. Bond?"

"I know you are in Britain on assignment but if you could take a day off and help me apprehend some subjects for a case…"

"You can't do it alone?" she was curious now

"I have a tendency to shoot first and do nothing else and I need information" she was silent for a moment

"Where shall I pick you up?" he smiled to himself over her bluntness.

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Bond was staring at Aly's picture again when Camille stepped in the car and immediately stated

"So I am here to keep you in line"

"Something to that effect" He said as he pocketed the picture. She nodded her understanding and made no comment about the picture

"So where are we going first?" She asked, he pulled a list of names and addresses out of his pocket and glancing over it. The page was riddled with notes, arrows and things crossed out. He looked at the list a moment before stating

"Liverpool" with that he put the car in gear and drove smoothly away.

They sat in silence in the car for a moment before Camille asked

"So who is the girl in the picture?"  
"Aly Larter, she was kidnapped by the man named Gregory Knight who as far as we know plans to use her inheritance money to do something…" he trailed off waving a hand in the air instead of saying 'I don't know what he is planning'. She nodded once again giving him a thoughtful look.

"You are an odd man Mr. Bond" she stated, he glanced over at her taking in the dark skin, brown hair, and piercing green eyes. She was wearing a casual blue collared shirt that was unbuttoned with a sleeveless shirt underneath that, and jeans.

"I'm odd" he repeated

"How so?" She looked over at him.

"One never knows who or what you will care about, and when you do care almost nobody will know it." There was silence and he smiled, it was a strange smile…could have been sad confused or sarcastic. She couldn't tell.

**hmmm another short chapter but i figured i would post something...i dont think Felix will be coming back...i just liked him and decided to give him a cameo...R&R because it makes me so happy^_^**


	13. Chapter 13

**Once again thank you all for your reviews you guys make me very happy^_^ **

**Chapter 13**

Bond drove the two of them to a club of some sort. You could see the flashing lights and so on from outside. You could also see the dirt and grime that accumulated on this less than par dance club.

"Well it's nice to see that our man associates with quality men" Bond stated dryly. She didn't answer; she just opened her door as he opened his.

"Follow my lead until we meet the man" Bond told her feeling thankful that today he was dressed down from his usual suit. Jeans and a t-shirt seemed to be the standard in this kind of place.

He gave her a nod and they walked towards the entrance. There was a man standing beside the door. Clearly he was the man that could decide to give them entry. He was a large man wearing a suit that looked old and out of place standing next to this horrible place. He was a man that could easily intimidate someone with his size alone. Bond merely sighed inwardly and began.

"I need to speak to Mr. Frost immediately" he stated fixing the guard with his most icy stare. The man met his gaze without comment.

"Mr. Frost owns this establishment. He is a busy man" the guard told him.

"Oh I see" Bond nodded sardonically looking at Camille restating

"He's very busy" his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Yes well do you know how many miles I drove to see this man? Do you know how much work I have in a day?" Bond's voice was cold precise and irritated now. The guard merely shrugged looking puzzled.

"What is your name sir?" Bond asked pulling out a pad and pen from his back pocket.

"Samson Smith" the guard told him gruffly.

"Is Samson spelled with two N's?" his voice was still cold as he calmly wrote the name on the paper.

"Why do you want my name?" the guard asked. Bond laughed again taking a moment to glance back at Camille who looked ready to hit him. From her gaze one could guess that she thought James had no clue what he was doing.

"I just want to give Mr. Frost the name of the man who single handedly destroyed his business. You will of course be out of a job when the place is closed and I wonder if Mr. Frost is given to violence…" he trailed off there looking pensive and guard hastily opened the door for them speaking a few words to a man inside who went running off.

"Just a few moments" the guard told them. They took these moments to examine the place. There were people dancing everywhere but with the dimness and flashing lights it was hard to see faces, merely bodies pressed up against one another. The music was loud and pulsing…also possibly deafening. One had to shout to be heard.

Soon enough the little man came running back.

"He will see you now" the man led them through a side door away from the dance floor. They walked through a series of hallways…the booming music eventually became a soft thump, like the heartbeat of a nearby giant. They eventually walked into an office that looked as if it had seen better days.

The room littered with papers and cigarette butts and in the middle of the wreck sat a man who might have looked as good as the room once. His suit was a wrinkled wreck and his face was reminiscent of a rat.

"What do you want?" he demanded. Bond quickly sized him up and continued his easy falsehoods. Camille stood behind him with her hand behind her, ready to reach for the gun in the back pocket.

"Well as you know, I contributed a lot of money to this place Mr. Frost…" he paused for a moment to look at Frost. The man was very drunk and seemed to accept that this total stranger helped him build his club.

"After all the money I put into this, I expected a quality establishment…quality associates…not people like Mr. Knight" he didn't look at Camille or Frost he just stared at a spot on the wall. Frost looked appropriately chastised and stared at Bond nervously.

"So have you heard he kidnapped a girl recently?" A little of the anger James must have been feeling crept into his voice. It was chilling to hear that cold voice go colder. The man simply shook his head.

"No I didn't know" he said. Bond was facing Camille looking right at her as he visibly suppressed his temper. Once he knew he was under control he faced Frost once more.

"Do you know anyway I could contact Mr. Knight?" Bond asked his voice now carefully controlled. Frost, having no idea the peril that he was in at the moment simply shrugged.

"I don't meet him in person he just sends me money and I send him…supplies." He warily glanced up at Bond. Bond glanced over at him with a sigh and nodded before turning to leave.

"If you are trying to meet him in person he is hard to miss." James paused and turned

"How so?"

"He has one red eyes and one blue eye" there was silence before Bond turned to leave once again.

"So are you putting me out of business?" Frost asked as him and Camille had nearly left the room. Bond didn't even turn he simply stated.

"No you have proved to be a quality establishment." And they left the room.

Once they got back into the car Camille turned to face James.

"Didn't seem like you needed any help Mr. Bond, so why am I here?"

"Actually you helped a lot" she gave him a quizzical look but he didn't meet her gaze, he simply scrutinized the steering wheel.

"The problem with anger is that it is blinding, makes one forget their goals…you helped me remember what I was there for. And not all of these men may be so easy to manipulate." She was silent for a moment before asking

"How did you know he was having trouble with investors and so on."

"Considering it's state of disrepair I took an educated guess."

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Aly was tied to a chair in a dark room. The only light was provided from an old light bulb that was beginning to dim as it swayed from an unsteady wire. She couldn't see it though, because of the blindfold, she also didn't see the man who dragged a chair in front of her and sat down on it. She was shivering from the cold and trying to suppress the feeling of hopelessness and terror that threatened to engulf her.

"So you are the infamous Aly" his voice was soft, almost velvety even when dripping with disdain. She didn't answer, but he didn't need an answer. He lifted up the blindfold so she could see his terrifying smile and mismatched eyes which seemed to bore into her with startling intensity.

"My name is Gregory Knight, pleased to meet you"

**Please Note: camille isnt here to be part of the wallpaper...she will have stuff to do, just not yet**

**hmmm…that took awhile hope it was long enough…on an unrelated note I have been watching schindlers list as I write this chapter. It is really powerful…Liam Neeson is great. If you haven't seen it you should.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"My name is Gregory Knight, pleased to meet you." It was that moment that he took off the blindfold. She met his gaze with distrust. He ignored it though and continued on

"You see I always make it a point to meet the people I kill…I'm not the sort to shoot somebody with a high powered rifle from two miles away…no I like to be right there to see their faces as they die." He went on, Aly in the meanwhile was trying to think of what all the characters in her stories would do in this situation…unfortunately she wasn't physically able or talented to escape from or break her bindings, let alone beat up this man.

"You see, I will kill you by the end of all this. Doesn't matter if your guardian or bodyguard pays the ransom. No matter what I will kill you."

She tried to ignore him, _'If Bond were in this situation he would at last put up a tough front…try bluffing maybe…'_ she tried to look like she wasn't terrified with limited success. He noted it

"That is cute you know…trying to be brave…go down 'swinging' as it were…is that your plan…well while you formulate here is something to think on…what do you think they care more about? You or your money?" with that final thought and a malicious grin he put the blindfold back on and left the room…she was glad for that…at least there was no one to hear her cry.

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The next destination on the list was a fancy bank. As he pulled up in front Camille turned to him.

"Listen you brought me here to help so a word of advice…lets come up with a plan before we go inside"

"Oh that's nonsense…" he trailed off seeing her set expression…she wasn't going to give up on this point. He sighed turning away from her. She looked out her window for a moment and she almost smiled.

"I have an idea" he followed her gaze to a cop lazing outside the bank.

"Should I be the gentleman and go take care of this part?" his voice was ironic and she even smiled.

"By all means" she gestured for him to go 'take care of it'

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Outside of the bank was one unconscious cop minus his clothing. Bond wore the jacket and gun holster but opted out of the pants saying that no one should be looking that closely at his legs unless it was a woman. Camille let it slide and silently put her hands in the air, her eyes telegraphing the message 'you owe me.'

He has quote 'arrested' her and was bringing her through the bank with his gun at her back with her hands in the air. It was late in the day and there wasn't anybody there except for a few clerks who looked alarmed.

"Don't worry" he told them

"She can't do anything to you from here." As he led her out the room she sighed aloud and whispered.

"Try to sound less amused" he glanced at her before looking at some other cops standing by the elevator.

"I'll try, and you try to be less bored." he said to her, and to the guards his voice all business, he said:

"I need to speak to the manager, Mr. Green, about an attempted break-in." The men shrugged. It was a late day and clearly they just wanted to go home. They opened the elevator and told him to go to the fifth floor to the first door on the right.

They walked into the room and approached the man behind the desk. At first he didn't even look up from his papers.

The man had a receding hairline and suspicious eyes hidden behind wire framed glasses. When he did look up and measured the situation his first question was:

"What did she do?"  
"She tried to break in, said she was working for a Gregory Knight" his face went from mildly concerned to furious.

"That scumbag!" he muttered

"Any information you could give would be useful in the investigation." Bond offered, Camille in the meantime remained silent wishing she could put her hands down. Greene eyed them suspiciously before opening a drawer. It was full of files and he rummaged for a moment before quickly pulling out a gun and pointing it at them. Bond now aimed at Green and Camille pulled her gun out of her pocket and pointed at Green as well.

"I don't know who you are or what your angle is but I know that I am integral in his current plans…there is no logical reason he would steal from me." Bond and Camille exchanged glances before they moved on either side of him. He moved the gun back and forth for a moment realizing he was outgunned. Then he sighed and put his gun on the desk.

"What do you want to know?" his voice resigned

"You know I love how realistic cowards are" Bond told Camille ignoring what he said.

"They always know exactly when to quit" his voice was sounding icier as Camille gave a look and ignored his statement the way he ignored Green.

"How would we find this Gregory Knight?"

"You think I know? I bet the guys who work for him don't even know who he is!" Green exclaimed.

"Do you know what his plan is?"

"I just know that he may or may not ask me to withdraw the entirety of an account in the near future…that's all I know…its in case his plan goes wrong."

"In case we don't pay ransom he gets his money" Bond murmured. He met Camille's ever present gaze

"Let's go"

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In the car he couldn't help remembering how she had at some point mentioned that she had always cried easily. It was her way of apologizing for crying in front of him. Apparently crying easily was the bane of her early life and irritating. She cried so easily it was quote: 'ridiculous.' He remembered the two times he had seen her cry not knowing that she was crying not to far away from him at that very moment

**God this part of the story is my least favorite…the fact finding…but it needs to be done…and Camille got to do more then stand there…yay! **

**Random movie that I saw recently: 'Definitely, maybe' if you like Abigail Breslin or chicks flicks this comes highly recommended^_^**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

The day continued and they tried to find some clue to where Aly had been taken. The most information they got was from the first two. After each man Bond looked angrier and angrier as they would get into the car until finally…

The fifth person was a woman who genuinely had no idea who Gregory Knight was. Bond slammed the door of his car as she sat in the driver seat glaring at nothing in particular. Camille took one look at him and decided it was time to talk.

"James" it wasn't a question, she didn't have to ask. He glanced at her and sighed, the anger seemed to deflate as he met her gaze until he looked away. For just a moment she could see something else…it could have been pain, or fear, or nothing at all…but she felt sure it was something.

"What happened?" she asked simply, he looked at her for a moment but looked away.

"14 year old girl was kidna—" she interrupted him.

"I know that" she said waving his answer away.

"I want to know what happened." She repeated her gaze steady.

"That is what happened" he told her still not meeting her gaze, his eye seemed ice cold, but maybe the ice had already melted. She reached over as she had before, putting her and on his cheek just like before. He finally met her gaze and it was steady.

"Remember James? We are damaged goods…people who aren't don't understand, but I can see this is different…so what happened?" her voice was soft even over the last part which was said slowly, emphasizing every syllable. He was silent for a moment before looking away again. She let him do it and took her hand away.

"She could be like us someday…damaged" she didn't even need to nod, he knew that she understood. Neither of them would wish their situation on anybody let alone a young girl.

"But she wasn't quite there yet…if given the opportunity and the right circumstances…she could heal" James paused and then turned to face Camille.

"Her parents were shot before her eyes…that's something you could empathize with better than me…but I understood the feeling of loss." He turned away staring in front him once again.

"She seemed so innocent…so…fragile. I just—" he broke off staring down at his hands. They were the hands of a killer, a former lover…maybe a friend…he sometimes wished his life could be simple and clean cut, which was never the case.

"Thank you for explaining it" Camille said softly, her smile gentle. He didn't even need to meet her intense gaze to know she understood.

Suddenly his head jerked up, his eyes wide.

"I have an idea" he told her before turning on the car and slamming the gas to the car zoomed away

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Back at MI6 headquarters he went walking through the hallways knowing exactly where he was headed. Camille was asked to sit in the car and she complied with a sigh telling him that 'this had better be good.'

Now he headed straight for M's office opening the doors pausing as the guards gave him the ok to do so.

She was looking through some files when he came in. her expression was intrigued as she looked up.

"You didn't look through files of former MI6 agents to find Gregory Knight" it wasn't a question. Her eyebrows went up in mild amazement that he had thought of that.

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"You know Aly I am not the bad guy here." Gregory said to her. He had pulled up a chair sitting on it backwards so he could lean on the back of the chair as he spoke.

"I am not actually that bad" he continued

"So says the kidnapper" Aly muttered. He had taken off the blindfold for this conversation but she hated looking him in the eye.

"Well if it hadn't been for your parents this would never have happened"

"What?" he smiled knowing he had her attention now.

"I warned your mother that this would happen…I didn't want it to be this way" his voice was quietly dangerous.

"I loved her and she left me…but she kept on saying we could be friends, and I was a nice person" he quoted her with disdain.

"But you're a terrorist." Aly stated disbelieving. He glanced at her with a smug smile.

"The good thing about terrorists is that they are satisfied as long as they can blow something up…if you give them a plan in terms of that they go along with just about anything."

"This has nothing to do with my parents then, it's all about you." Her tone was accusing.

"See Aly, things are never that clear cut…was it my fault for not being able to move on? Or theirs for getting married…and having you." His velvety voice seemed to harden as he said that.

"Me?"

"Actually it was you being born that helped me decide…up until then it wasn't permanent…when you were born I knew what needed to be done." That smug smile remained as Aly stared at him angrily. Tears were welling up and to her immense shame she couldn't hold them back.

"How is it my fault?" Aly's voice shook and he ignored her question completely.

"I am a patient man, I knew it would take time to formulate a proper plan, and more years to implement it…looks like it all worked out for me though" his grin widened

"This isn't my fault." Aly stated glaring at him

"You're the monster not me. My mom was right about not loving you." She told him as she tried to get herself under control. The grin froze on his face. Without warning he slapped her across the face so hard the chair tipped onto the floor. Aly's head cracked against the hard floor so hard she was sure her head would split. Worst of all with her hands and legs tied she was forced to stay that way.

"Believe what you want about 'whose fault it is,' but before you decide I am a monster you should think about this." He knelt down next to her so he could look her in the eyes.

"Your so-called 'protector,' Mr. Bond has killed as many people as I have…I bet most of them had families, children, and so on…so who is really the monster here?" with that he stood up and walked to the door. Aly stared after him from the floor with wide eyes.

"Is he alive?" she asked as his hand reached for the doorknob. He paused but didn't turn

"Yes, and he hasn't done anything to try and find you…I guess your money is what matters most." With that last sentiment he left her feeling more alone then ever. Someone would fix the chair eventually, picking her up off the floor. But nobody could fix or take away what had been said no matter how much she wished they could.

**Hmmm…angsty and informational…**

**On this rant I seem to have with unrelated movies I have been watching…the Bucket list made me cry**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"Gregory Knight was a former agent of MI6, same as Aly's parents. He had associated with her mother in here and possibly when they were off duty. Sometime after she quit…around the time that we estimate she got pregnant with Aly…he turned. Started killing suspects and innocents alike. He was soon permanently suspended from active duty. He left and that is the last we heard of him." M's voice was quiet, clipped, and precise as she summarized what they knew of him.

She handed Bond the file and he opened it keeping his face carefully blank as he turned to the picture. It was in black and white so he didn't get the full effect of the man's mismatched eyes, but he did finally have an idea of what he would look like now.

Back then his hair was parted neatly to one side. Taking a glance at the file's description he saw the man's hair was dark brown. He looked more lean and wiry then big and muscular, with wide shoulders and a strong jaw. He looked innocent enough in the picture so Bond had to assume he would only vaguely resemble it. Nonetheless it was enough. His other hand was in his pocket toying with the edges of a picture he had looked at a lot recently.

"You know they have begun to demand the ransom we expected, they have given us one day." She watched him carefully measuring his expression. His eyes hardened and his hand tightened around the file. His expression remained the same

He took a moment to give M a nod of farewell before going back to the car to find an impatient Camille waiting for him.

"So? Did you find what you are looking for?" he wordlessly handed her the file and she took one look at it before staring at him.

"Is this his current address?" she asked

"Probably not" he responded his voice clipped.

"But this is a lead"

"Hopefully." There was silence for a moment as she glanced at the clock and the rapidly dimming sky

"It's getting late" she stated.

"I will drop you off then…same place tomorrow?" she nodded and he met her eyes for a moment before facing forward. He nodded briefly to show his understanding and started the car.

She stared at him as she tried to formulate what she wanted to say. It was useless to say it would be alright, neither of them knew that. But she wanted to say something…

"At least she is still alive" she offered…that was something they knew for sure. There was no point in ransoming the dead so she was certainly alive. Bond glanced over at her and for a moment she thought she saw an immeasurable sadness which was gone so quickly it might have been her imagination. His face was impassive as he simply stated

"Yes, she is alive…for now."

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He dropped her off and then sat alone in the car watching her leave until she was out of sight. Then he slowly faced forward and pulled out the file. Knight had lived in an apartment. He took a look at the time and swore quietly. Any office for an apartment complex would be closed by now.

Clenching his teeth he punched the gas and sped off into the night. The car was painfully silent and his face was impassive as he drove on and remembered.

**Kind of depressing and short too…sorry about that I have been busy and so on…I didn't have time to write much but I figured you all have been patient so I had to give you something…hope you liked it^_^**


	17. Chapter 17

**Well happy new year people^_^ sorry for the wait…a friend of mine lent me season ten of Stargate SG-1(that show is like crack, seriously) but now I am here writing chapter 17 so there you go**

**Chapter 17**

It was hard for Aly to sit and try to accept her complete and utter isolation. She was all alone now and would probably die soon. It was odd that while part of her was in absolute terror over imminent demise the other half of her was furious. She decided to deal with her fury and ignore the terror.

In the meantime she observed her surroundings (they had ditched the blindfold and gag some time ago). It looked like she was in some kind of abandoned warehouse. Outside the door she could hear Knight on the phone making his ransom demand. According to him she had a day left. She could even hear his half of the conversation.

"Yes one day…you people are smart you could work something out…what do you mean how do you know?...Of course she is still alive…well I wont speak for unharmed…she's still breathing…you want proof? Fine." With that he hung up his cell phone and opened the door to the warehouse.

"So I have a day left before you kill me" she stated as he stormed into the room and sat heavily on a stool across from her. He was staring off into a corner as if he was in deep thought. He glared at her like she had interrupted.

"You know you should drop the act…your no better the rest of us."

"So he says to the prisoner" Aly stated dryly

"Listen you, you were raised by killers protected by a killer and now your stuck with another…I am no different then they are. Your 'bodyguard' is no better than me and neither are your parents."

"Yes well none of them tried to kill me so I think you will understand if I feel a little biased about that statement." Her voice bordered on acerbic in tone.

"Ah yes so you admit that what you believe is false" he seemed smug

"No, I believe that thanks to you, I will never know." Her voice cracked a little as she glared at him and hoped he wouldn't see tears in her eyes. He just stared at her, his face unreadable before standing up and slowly approaching her. She stared up at him trying to look brave. That only infuriated him further and he slapped her across the face. The sound of it and her cry of pain echoed through the empty warehouse as he walked back to the door and said something. From where Aly sat she could hear the sounds of running and some chatter but it was quiet and indistinct. A few minutes later some of the men who had brought her in came into the warehouse. One had a camera and Knight but the gag back on.

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Bond and Camille had checked out the man's apartment only to find a forwarding address when M gave him a call. He put it on speaker phone so Camille could hear.

"What is it?" he answered the phone tersely.

"We asked Knight to prove Aly was still alive. I'm sending you the video that was sent to us." She hung up and he flicked open the video screen on his phone. The two leaned over it to see.

The screen showed that it was loading and he pressed a few buttons to get it on screen.

"So as you can see I am not a stupid kidnapper." A voice from behind the camera was speaking as the camera pointed at Aly. She was tied to the chair with a gag over her mouth. He could see her left check was red as if it had been hit and the right side of her forehead had an ugly bruise.

"I know full well," the voice continued

"I know that to receive a ransom it helps to keep the prisoner alive…now if I don't receive the money within the day she will be killed." Aly seemed to be looking every which way except at the camera. She ducked her head down as he spoke of her death. The camera moved shakily as if it was being handed off to someone else and the man walked in front of the camera with a ski mask covering the lower half of his face and a hooded jacket covering his hair. He continued to speak as he came in view of the camera.

"So I want all of you to take a good look at this girl" he stated as he yanked Aly's hair jerking her head up.

"I want you all to remember that if you do not send me the money, you are condemning this girl to death." With that the video cut off. Camille slowly looked away from the screen and over at Bond. His eyes seemed icy as ever and his face was tight as his other hand clenched into a fist.

He said nothing as he started the car to drive to the new address. Her own expression might have been sympathy as she gently put her hand on his arm. She could visibly see him releasing the tension in his body with a quiet sigh. He looked over at her with a nod that meant something to the effect of _'thank you'. _

She gave him a nod and a small smiling saying quietly

"Your welcome."

**Well that was chapter 17 if any body has any suggestions, ideas, or predictions about the resolution of this feel free to let me know. I enjoy every bodies input^_^**


	18. Chapter 18

Well it seems the time has come for me to do my fanfictiony duty….sorry its been awhile…homework and research papers melt my brain…be warned I am still partially braindead so this is a little filler until I can write a proper chapter and stuff will FINALLY happen(I don't want to write that while my brain is mush)

**Chapter 18**

Bond drove with Camille to the new address. It was another dud. Finally after another small house and an apartment the owner of the apartment building was able to give them some actual information.

"So you know where Gregory Knight is?" Camille asked. They had begun to take turns in going in to ask questions. Bond was standing a few feet away listening to the exchange

"Well, he was a bit of an odd fish…a lot of skulking and glaring. I still see him around here sometimes, then the other day I saw him with a whole group of the shadiest men you ever did see all standing around this warehouse" that got Bond's attention

"Where?"

"I cant remember the address but…" he gave them the general area where he thought they were. Bond immediately turned and went to the car. Camille glanced over at him and quickly thanked the man

"No problem" he called after her as she ran to catch up with Bond. Both got into the car but he didn't immediately start it.

"You can leave you know. I bet you this is it and it could get messy. You helped me find where she is and that's all I asked. I can drive you home if you would like." His eyes were serious as he gazed straight ahead. He only looked over at her when he had finished. She met his gaze and saw that he meant what he said.

"I'm sure you could use some back-up" she stated. He continued to stare at her waiting for a definitive answer. She simply buckled her seatbelt and looked back at him.

"Drive" that was enough for him and without another word he started the car and sped away.

**Told you it was short but I will write more soon**


	19. Chapter 19

**Ok be warned I think this chapter will be short but stuff is finally going to happen(which is good because I hate filler)**

**Chapter 19**

"You know Aly I think it is safe to say that nobody gives a damn about you." Gregory stated suddenly. She glared at him but didn't respond.

"You see we have hit the deadline here so I think its time." Her eyes widened betraying alarm before she quickly looked away. He remained silent and looked at her for a moment before getting up and going outside for a moment. He glanced around before coming back in.

"Looks like we are going" he stated his voice disturbingly calm.

"Where?" she demanded

"You will see" he stated serenely before opening his cell and walking a short distance away.

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Bond knew that they had passed the deadline as he sped down roads and ran red lights. Camille said nothing to any of this since she knew it as well.

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Gregory flipped open his cell phone and dialed.

"Yes? Hello…yes they are sending the money. Just come to the warehouse and it will be here. I'm leaving…her house…Yes…yes…good day" Aly listened closely with wide eyes. She was sure he had said 'her house.'

She continued to stare at Mr. Knight who ignored her and went to fiddling with some mechanism he was placing on the door.

Aly looked around trying to find some way to convey a message, a clue, anything. Her eyes roved the room as she tried not to consider how stupid it was to even bother. Suddenly she remembered her chair was wooden. She carefully began to scratch into the wood and hoped that if somebody came looking they would find this.

Moving her hand to scratch the back of the chair was awkward with her bound hands. It felt as though she might dislocate her own shoulder but she kept at it as sweat ran down her face.

He turned to face her as she carefully hid her small triumph. He was to busy to notice…he seemed to be in a hurry and he quickly unbound her feet forcing her to stand. Days spent sitting with barely anything to eat made it difficult to do so and she nearly collapsed. Gregory didn't even glance over as he hauled her up by the elbow and dragged her out of the warehouse. She noticed that they used a back door instead of the one he had messed with.

The bright sunlight made her squint as Knight went to a small car and opened the back seat flinging her inside the car before getting into the drivers seat.

Within a few moments the car was on and he sped off.

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Bond finally reached the warehouse and slowly drove towards it. He spotted some trees nearby and parked behind them before getting out of the car. Camille did the same. Both of them paused before opening the door.

"lets see if there's a back door" Camille suggested and Bond nodded.

Sure enough there was another door that was slightly ajar. Slowly the pair of them made their way to the door and peaked inside.

The warehouse was full of all sorts of things…but there were no people. Bond swore and threw open the door walking inside with his gun at the ready. But in this case their cursory glances were correct and the place was empty.

Bond spotted a wooden chair with some cut rope at its base and he made his way over. He put his hand on the back of the chair.

"It's still warm. They were here recently" he stated

"Well were did they go?" Camille demanded. His expression hardened.

"I don't know" he let go of the chair and began to pace the room. Camille walked over and looked it over for a moment. That was long enough to notice.

"James, come here" she called out

"What is it?" he asked turning to her from the other side of the warehouse where he was rummaging to find an address or some form of clue. That was when they heard doors slamming outside of the warehouse. Both of them looked at each other.

"Shit" he swore as he ran over grabbing her wrist and sprinting out of the warehouse. Just as they reached the fence around the area, the men opened the door of the warehouse triggering the bomb Gregory had set up. The whole place burst into flames.

The two were thrown down by the force of the blast and after it subsided they sta up and stared at the ruins. The warehouse was destroyed and they could see clearly to the front of it where there at least five cars and many corpses lying around badly burned.

"I guess he didn't like them very much" Camille commented dryly. It was clear he had just killed most of his own associates. Bond turned to her

"What did you find in there…before." She looked at him

"On the chair somebody scratched in a word. Home." He stared at her trying to understand what that significance might be, suddenly he understood.

"I know where he's taken her"

**well the length isn't too bad if I do say so myself so feel free to R&R^_^**


	20. Chapter 20

**Finally! …time for stuff to happen. Sorry for the wait, I hope you enjoy this.**

**Chapter 20**

The car screeched to a stop at the end of the block.

"So this is where she is?" Camille asked. There was no point in asking where before so she had refrained. Now she needed to know what the plan was. Bond glanced at her as checked that his two handguns were working.

"No." he looked back at his guns tucking one into his belt and leaving the other out. Camille stared at him feeling her patience wear a little thin.

"Then why are we stopping?" Bond looked at her again and this time didn't glance away. His expression was calm.

"Because she is in the house at the end of the street. I thought we could enter in a more inconspicuous fashion…without the car." Camille nodded her understanding and began to check her weapons. He waited until she looked at him and nodded. The pair got out of the car and began walking down the street. He whispered his plan as they walked. She nodded her understanding and then they kept walking keeping their eyes forward. The house Gregory had taken her to was her own. The irony was not lost on James.

Once they reached the vicinity of the house he got behind the neighbors trees and Camille did the same. They glanced over and he spotted the telltale cars. He looked over at her.

"Clearly, he still has some loyal subjects" he muttered. She glanced at him with a quick smile.

"You know what to do" he told her. She nodded and got ready to step into the open.

"And Camille," It wasn't phrased as a question but it could have been. She paused and glanced over at him.

"Good luck." She smiled and inclined her head.

"You too Mr. Bond." With that she went running out from behind the trees and darted to the front door. He stayed behind and watched her do so. She tried to open the door. When she found it locked she pocketed her gun and proceeded to kick down the door. The splintering of wood rang through the otherwise silent neighborhood. One could hear the yells from his men inside the house.

As she ran into the house with both guns out and ready, James took it as his que and ran to the back of the house. He stayed low and kept to whatever shadows there were. The sun was beginning to set so conditions were on his side.

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In the house five men ran towards Camille and opened fire. she fired back as she glanced around and spotted a couch behind them. She pocketed her guns and grabbed the closest man, she threw him into two of the others and jumped past the other two to get behind the couch. From there she systematically shot each of the five men and let their bullets hit the couch. When they were finished she calmly walked over to the men tossing her guns to the side. She was out of bullets. She grabbed two of the men's unused guns and made her way to the stairs as ten more men were headed her way.

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James made it to the back of the house and thanked his lucky stars, that it was an easy climb, and the blinds were shut. Stepping carefully onto the window ledge he began to climb.

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Camille shot the first man using his body as a shield she managed to shoot two more. She grabbed the dead man's gun tossing her empty one aside before she continued shooting. Bullets whizzed by her ears and proceeded to shatter a glass vase and make holes in the walls.

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The car drove for what seemed like forever before she could hear a door open. She was dragged out of the car and the ropes tying her feet were undone. Someone grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her out of the car. She could hear a door open and she was dropped on a rug. She lay there for what seemed an age as she waited for something to happen. She tried to sit more comfortable but having her hands behind her back made that a difficulty. Soon she was picked up and dragged up some stairs before she was tossed onto the ground in her parent's room. Gregory removed the blindfold as he pointed his gun at her. He smiled as he said

"Aly, this is where your mother died" his smile widened as he asked

"Are you prepared to die?" he asked. The sound of gunfire drew his attention. His eyes were wide as his head jerked towards the closed door. He picked her up by the back of the shirt and dragged her across the floor to stand in front of the door. He nodded to the two men sitting in the room to get out. They did so quietly. Once they left the room he picked her up to a standing position and kept the gun on her as he dug through his pockets with shaking hands. He pulled out some sort of remote and when he spotted her looking at it he smiled once again.

"Just in case."

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Bond had made it to the window on the second story. The blinds were mostly closed but someone forgot to close them completely. He squinted between the blinds and he saw Gregory grab Aly and drag her toward the door. He began to see if he could quietly open the window glancing down at the base of the window for a latch or some form of lock. He found a lock and began to try and open it as he ran through what he knew needed to be accomplished in his mind.

The key in these dangerous and intense situations was to remain detached. So he tried not to think about how much he wanted to just try his luck at shooting Gregory Knight here and now. He also tried not to focus on how small and fragile Aly seemed in that moment. James paused his work and glanced up feeling his heartbeat speed up as Gregory pointed his gun on Aly and pulled that remote out of his pocket. He saw the situation and could think only one thing:

'_Shit'_

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Camille had given up on the guns and began using them for other things. She checked her empty gun at one man's head with as much strength as she could muster. It hit the base of his skull and he went down like a stone. From there she went as the closest guy dodging bullets. She kicked the gun out of his hand and kicking the outstretched arm against the banister of the staircase. His arm broke and she pushed him aside with a final punch in the stomach. She head butted the second man and turned around to find the third man had his gun pointed straight at her. There was barely an inch of space between them as the man took a step closer preparing to fire. she felt the color drain from her face as her heart sped up. The man took another step closer and then Camille saw her opportunity and seized it.

She quickly kneed him in the groin and threw him over the banister. She didn't pause to see if he would stand up. Grabbing two guns that had been dropped on the stairs she sprinted up them. The hallway Camille came to had one final man guarding the door at the end of the hall. He was a big guy who could easily beat her in close quarters. She would have to avoid that.

"You won't get past me" the man snarled. Camille looked at him calmly and smiled.

She ran at him firing her guns realizing that both were empty. She continued to run and chucked both at him. One missed entirely and the other bounced off his shoulder. She was getting tired and it was making her sloppy. Camille stopped leaving about of foot of space separating them. He made the next move, lunging at her and grabbing her arm he spun her around slamming her head into the door. Lights popped before her eyes as she shook it off twisting around for a better angle despite the feeling that he shoulder might pop out of its socket. He pulled out his gun and she kicked it aside twisting out of his grip. He took a step towards the gun as she dove towards it. The two struggled for it. He was easily over powering her and soon she would be dead if she didn't act. So she did what he wasn't expecting. She let go of the gun and the effort he had put into grabbing it suddenly had nowhere to go. He fell on his ass. She had stood up in the meantime and took his moment of confusion to kick him in the face with all her might. It worked to stun him momentarily. So using that to her advantage she grabbed the man by his jacket and rammed his head into the door.

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James could hear the fighting through the window. He could hear the thudding of something being repeatedly knocked against the door. Meanwhile he finally managed to get the lock open. Then he carefully opened the window making as little noise as possible. Gregory was staring at the door with his hand poised above a button on the remote. James glanced furtively at Gregory and Aly wondering if he could yank her away while he wasn't looking. As the thudding against the door began to couple with the sounds of the wood splintering he grabbed Aly holding her in front of himself jamming the gun against the side of her head. James pointed his gun at Gregory preparing to fire when Gregory suddenly spun around and saw James with gun pointed at him. In that moment Camille broke down the door and several things registered to James at once.

The arm Gregory was using to hold Aly as a shield was also the arm holding the remote. With the other hand he held the gun pointed at her. James immediately met Aly petrified gaze seeing a million emotions flit across her features at once.

"Don't try anything!" Gregory exclaimed, his eyes were wide lending his expression a crazed quality.

"If either of you make a movie will kill her and blow this place to holy hell." Aly's eyes widened as she glanced at the remote understanding what it was for. James sighed, he had been hoping he was wrong about that.

"If you let her go, then we will let you walk away" he stated as Camille walked around Gregory keeping her gun pointed at him.

"Are you kidding?" he Gregory exclaimed.

"She is the root of all my problems and you want me to let her live?" he demanded.

"Nobody is the root of all problems Gregory." James said.

"You caused all of your own problems and you can't blame that on someone else!" Gregory's eyes flitted back and forth between Camille and Bond as he tried to figure a way out of the situation. Finally he muttered

"Fine have it your way" he shoved Aly at James and press the button on the remote triggering a serious of explosives that were set around the base of the house. He took that moment of confusion to try and jump out of the window but Camille grabbed him by the back of the shirt yanking him into the room. He pointed his gun at her and James took that moment to shoot him in the chest.

The three of them stood there breathing heavily as Gregory breathed his final gasping breath. It was finally over. Gregory Knight was dead. They all stood there letting the realization sink in. then they all remembered the fire that was sweeping through the house as section of the floor crumbled and gave way showing the fire that had already ravaged the bottom floor and was quickly eating up the walls around them. Knight's body was on the slab of concrete that got buried beneath rubble beneath them. Camille was on the side closest to the window, James and Aly were on the other side. Camille stared at the two of them before James yelled.

"Go! We will follow you" she stood irresolute but his expression was resolute. Seeing no other option she did as she was told and jumped past the rising flames. She managed to latch onto a tree just outside the window and managed to climb down from there. She stood outside watching the growing flames with increasing trepidation.

In the house the roof had begun to burn and a section of it collapsed over them. Without thinking James shielded Aly from the flaming rubble suing his body. When the ceiling stopped crumbling he took off a moment to throw off his jacket, which was now in flames. He helped Aly to her feet and faced the gap in the floor. The flames were on both sides. Their only way across was to jump.

"Come on," he said.

"We have to jump" he looked over at her but she was just staring at the hole with wide eyes.

"I'm scared" she whispered. James quickly knelt down at eye level grabbing her by the shoulders forcing her to tear her eyes away from the obstacle facing them. He knew there wasn't much time and spoke quickly.

"Aly if you want to get out of here alive then you need to trust me and do as I say, and right now I am telling you we have to jump, I will go first. Just make sure to follow me." She nodded her blue eyes filled with terror. He nodded and backing up a step he leapt over the gap. Aly paused for a moment and then she took a few steps back before running towards the gap. As she reached the edge she shut her eyes and jumped feeling strong arms catching her as she landed they faced the window which was mainly in flames. James grabbed out his gun and shot at the wall until they had created a larger hole in the flame weakened concrete.

"Aly I am going to jump and then I want you to follow me." He looked down and saw the hesitation in her face.

"Don't worry" he said, his voice comforting in its certainty.

"I'll catch you if you fall." With that he leapt past the flames grabbing the branches of that tree. Aly held her breath nervously as she watched him get his bearings and then climb down the tree. When he was on the ground he looked up at her. Camille walked to his side and nodded encouragingly. She took a few steps back and made a running jump reaching for the nearest branch. There was a sickening moment as she the feeling of weightlessness left her and she and her fingers only brushed the leaves of the branch. She scrabbled for some sort of purchase and managed to grab the branch below. She looked down to see James and Camille looking relieved. From there she managed to pull herself up onto the branch and carefully make her way down.

James was standing at the base of the tree when she reached the ground. the moment she her feet hit the floor she launched herself at James wrapping her arms around him. He stood there for a moment unsure of what to do before slowly putting his arms around her, returning the embrace.

Camille smiled as she watched. She would have hit him if he hadn't hugged Aly back.

"I thought you were dead…or you wouldn't be coming back…" she whispered tears running down her cheeks. James lifted her chin so he could look her in the eyes.

"You said I couldn't die, I was just doing what I was asked."

"I didn't ask you to come back though." He looked down at her raising his eyebrows for a moment.

"Yes…pardon me for making the assumption that you might need a rescue" She let out a weak chuckle even as the tears continued. He looked down at her

"Is there something about my shirts that gives you urge to cry into them?" he inquired his eyebrows raised and his tone dry. She let go of him and sniffed wiping her nose on her sleeve and wiping away her tears.

"Yes, they are simply awful." He smiled a little and Camille stood there looking at the two of them.

"Let's get moving." She said as she turned and led the way back to the car. Aly and James began to follow. As Aly walked beside James she linked her arm through his slightly leaning against him as they walked. Her expression showed emotions to numerous to name. Her expression finally cleared as they reached the end of the road and Aly softly whispered.

"Thank you…Mr. Bond." Then she let go of his arm and raced towards Camille who was standing by the open door of the car. James could hear her introducing herself.

"I'm Aly," she said sticking out her hand.

"I'm Camille" was the response and Aly's hand was given a firm shake. As Camille got into the passenger seat staring at Bond as he reached the car and leaned down to look at how Aly was settling in the back seat while Aly looked out the other window. James had noticed the various cuts and bruises that she had sustained during her time with Gregory. His only comfort came in knowing that Gregory was dead.

Camille saw all that watching through the rearview mirror and couldn't help but shake her head at them. She now understood exactly why James and Aly got along so well; they were so alike. James got into the drivers seat and glanced over at her.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Oh nothing" Camille said with a smile

"Lets get going."

**You know I was going to split this into two chapters but I didn't really have the heart considering I have been stringing you all along for about 20 chapters now…after this all that's left is the epilogue**

**Thanks for reading. R&R please^_^**


	21. Chapter 21

**Finally the epic ness of my epilogue is here!…enjoy**

**Disclaimer: still dont own it**

**Chapter 21: Epilogue**

The hours after they had escaped Gregory seemed like a blur to Aly. At some point she probably fell asleep in the car. It was the first time since her capture that she could truly sleep. Her head leaned against the window, her breathing was quiet and even. Bond occasionally glanced over at her in the rearview mirror. Camille glanced over at him every so often noting those glances.

"I'm glad she's ok" Camille said quietly looking over at him. Her met her gaze for a moment before looking at the road ahead once more. She could have sworn she saw the ghost of a smile but it passed quickly.

"Me too" he said watching the passing signs and the sun as it began to set beyond the horizon

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When they reached headquarters he debated about making Camille wait outside before deciding he didn't give a damn about secret headquarters today. They got out of the car and he opened the door to the backseat where Aly slept soundly. Camille looking over his shoulder said

"It seems almost a shame to wake her" he didn't answer and simply nudged her shoulder.

"Come on, get up." She let out a sigh her eyebrows furrowing, then she slowly opened her eyes as if she were just remembering where she was. She met his gaze and simply nodded, undoing her seatbelt and getting out of the car.

He led the pair of them to the infirmary and turned the face them.

"The people here should probably have a look at both of you…just in case. I will be right back" With that he turned and walked away leaving Camille and Aly standing in the doorway. A doctor came over and asked what they wanted and Camille explained that Bond wanted them checked out. The man shrugged and led them to two hospital beds and went to get the nurses. Once the man had left Camille glanced over at Aly. Her expression was far off, as though she were remembering, and what she was remembering didn't seem to be a particularly pleasant memory. Camille leaned over and tapped her on the shoulder jerking her back to reality.

"You know, James isn't particularly good about talking…if you need someone to talk to…" she trailed off and shrugged. Aly smiled a little and nodded looking at her feet

"Thanks…I will keep that in mind"

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"So Mr. Knight is dead" M stated standing with her back to him…it wasn't phrased as a question.

"Definitely" Bond replied. She turned to face him and took in his appearance. His hair was messy and his face and clothes were covered with dirt and ashes from the fire. One of his shirt was ripped and the collar frayed.

"Well you have been through hell today haven't you." Once again it wasn't a question. He made no response and she sighed.

"Where is the girl?"

"In the infirmary with Camille." He responded

"Camille?" she repeated.

"What the hell is she doing here? Do you not understand the meaning of secret facility?" She demanded. Once again Bond made no response and she sighed turning away once again.

"I suppose we can have her sign a non disclosure form. She works for the Bolivians and we get along well enough I suppose…" she said all that quietly to herself before looking back at Bond.

"Is the girl all right?"

"She's alive" was his response. M sighed looking out the window of her office down to the street below.

"You know it's a good thing you got her. Gregory had killed all of his associates, it turns out he didn't really care about the money, he just wanted what he thought was revenge…I guess your familiar with that" she glanced over at him as she stated the last part dryly. He made no response she sighed once more.

"Tired ma'am?" that ghost of a smile was there

"A little…agents like you give me a headache," was her response. His smile broadened

"Well, it's another mission accomplished…good day" that was her dismissal and he inclined his head still smiling before leaving the office. But he paused in the doorway.

"What is to be done with the girl?"

"Well she will need to be enrolled in school and she will need a caretaker of some kind…why?" she asked

"Nothing, Good day." With that James left M, who simply smiled and shook her head at the follies of her agents.

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James walked into the infirmary to find Camille standing in the hallway outside. She had a few bandages on her arms and one on her knee where she had ripped her jeans and got burned. The other bandages covered similar injuries. He nodded to her and went inside to find that Aly was still in the bed. She was wincing as a nurse poured something that stung on one of her burns. She glanced up to see James leaning against the doorframe.

"Hey" she said with smile

"I would wave but my arms are currently being tortured" She continued glancing at the nurse who ignored her comments and began working on another burn on her lower arm

"I thought she was helping you" Bond stated his eyebrows raised

"That's up to interpretation" She told him.

"So many things are" was Bond's response. There was silence for a moment but it wasn't an uncomfortable one.

"So is she your girlfriend or something?" Aly asked nodding to the doorway where Camille stood.

"Hardly, I would think we are colleagues." He told her.

"Oh so that's what they are calling it now" Aly said nodding wisely. He stared at her in disbelief for a moment and heard a chuckle from Camille. Aly couldn't help but giggle at his shock...it was so unlike him. It took him a moment but he smiled too. When the laughter subsided silence reigned once more.

Aly looked him over noticing the toll that the past week had taken on him. Aside from the dirt and messy hair it seemed as though the lines in his face had deepened. He looked very tired.

He had noticed the damage the week had done to her already. She was had burns all over the place and her arms were mottled with bruises and her wrists were a mess of rope burns and scrapes. James walked over and sat down at the edge of her bed. He reached over picking up the hand that the nurse wasn't working on. Her hand seemed so small and delicate held in his hands. He held it up for a moment looking at the deep gashes on her wirsts before glancing at Aly.

"Has she looked at this yet?"

"No, but she will get to it I'm sure." He nodded letting her hand go and glancing at the wall. She studied him for a moment seeing that he had his fair share of burns and bruises as well and from the look the nurse was giving him, he was next for the 'torture' as Aly had put it. But she looked past that for a moment as his gaze turned back to her.

It was odd to see that his eyes seemed like they had turned a softer shade of blue. Less like ice, and more like something different…something new. Her eyes met his and he smiled a little. It wasn't a big smile or the awkward kind that one does for a picture. It was an attempt. An effort of some kind. The sadness was still there, the pain and bitterness…it would never go away…but finally there was something else besides that…something good. Aly responded with a smile of her own, it was just as complex as his but for now it was enough.

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Eventually it would come to pass that she did go back to school. She even made a few friends. She lived on her own not far from the MI6 facility. She was officially under their protection and when she was 18 she would inherit her fortune and make her own way. In the meantime Bond handled her expenses and made sure she was taken care of.

Sometimes he would stop by and say hello between missions. Sometimes he would pick her up from school in his Aston Martin. Her response whenever she saw him was always the same. She grinned ear to ear and he would smile back.

Sometimes Camille would come to visit, Aly loved to see her and the pair got on beautifully.

She eventually learned how to deal with her memories. she learned that it wasnt a bad thing to remember.

Life was very different from the way Aly would have imagined it, but that isn't always necessarily a bad thing.

She had learned that it wasn't always a terrible thing to be surprised from time to time.

It made life an adventure.

**That is the end.**

**All done.**

**I am going to take a moment to thank my awesome reviewers. Trust me I don't think I would have finished this without you guys. Thank you so much for your feedback and encouragement. I hope you guys liked it. I hope the ending works. **

**Happy fanficcing^_^**


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